College of Nursing secures nearly $4 million to prepare rural nurses

The Texas A&M University College of Nursing has received a four-year, $3.9 million federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration to bolster the state’s rural nursing workforce through expanded rural-focused curriculum and clinical experiences.

The Connecting Nurse Education to Rural Communities in Texas (ConNECT) project aims to prepare more students in the College of Nursing’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for rural practice by integrating rural health competencies in the nursing curriculum, increasing clinical experiences in rural settings and growing partnerships with rural health care facilities.

The Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies reports that Texas faces one of the most severe nursing shortages in the nation, with a deficit projected to reach 16.3% by 2032. This gap is particularly acute in the state’s rural counties, which contain the largest rural population in the country at nearly 5 million residents, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Longtime nurse educator Sharon Dormire, PhD, a professor at the college, serves as the project director. Co-investigators are college faculty members Nicole Peters Kroll, PhD, Maria Olenick, PhD, and Kelly Wilson, PhD.

Project ConNECT is also collaborating with the Texas A&M Rural and Community Health Institute and others to secure rural clinical rotations and develop outreach and research activities in underserved areas of the state.

“Our goal is to prepare nurses who not only have the clinical skills needed in rural health care but also understand and value the communities they serve,” Dormire said. “By working side by side with rural partners, we’re building a sustainable model of education, innovation and service that strengthens the health of Texas.”

The Project ConNECT team will also develop community action teams in rural communities. These teams will include students, faculty and community members who coordinate to identify local health care priorities and co-design solutions. The participatory model is designed to benefit the communities while preparing students to serve in those areas as nurses after graduation, according to Dormire.

The nearly $4 million from HRSA is part of more than $25 million awarded to the college by the federal agency since 2019.

The college’s efforts to improve health care for rural Texans also include state-funded scholarship support for rural nurses seeking advanced education, a nurse practitioner-led mobile clinic program serving the Brazos Valley and East Texas, maternal health projects and more.